Chicken Breasts Tarragon

Here is a dish fit for your most elegant dinner party. The chicken breasts are boned, sauteed, then poached until tender in white wine flavored with tarragon and chervil. The luscious sauce is made from the cooking liquid thickened with cream and egg yolks.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4  whole boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb. each)
• 2  tablespoons  salad oil or 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  tablespoons butter or 2  tablespoons margarine
• 6  shallots, chopped
• 2  pared carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1⁄4 cup cognac or 1⁄4 cup brandy
• 1  cup dry white wine
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons  chopped fresh chervil
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
• 1  cup  light cream
• 1  egg yolk
• 1  tablespoon flour
• 1⁄4 lb mushroom, washed, thinly sliced
• 2  tablespoons butter or 2  tablespoons margarine
•  fresh tarragon sprig

Directions

1. Bone chicken breasts and remove skin; cut breast in half. In 6-quart Dutch oven, heat oil and 2 Tablespoons butter. Add chicken breasts (half at a time, enough to cover bottom of pan); sauté, turning on all sides, until brown. Remove chicken as it browns. Brown rest of chicken.
2. To drippings in Dutch oven, add shallot and carrot; sauté, stirring, 5 minutes, or until golden. Return chicken to Dutch oven; heat. When hot, slightly heat Cognac in ladle, and ignite. Add white wine, the chopped tarragon (or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon if you don't have fresh) and chervil (1/2 teaspoon dried chervil), salt and pepper.
3. Bring to boiling; reduce heat, and simmer gently, covered, 30 minutes. Remove chicken to heated serving platter; keep warm. Strain the drippings that is in the Dutch oven; return drippings to Dutch oven. In small bowl, combine cream, egg yolk and flour; mix well with wire whisk.
4. Stir into drippings in Dutch oven; bring just to boiling, stirring. Add more wine if sauce seems too thick. Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms in hot butter 5 minutes, until tender. Spoon sauce over chicken. Garnish with tarragon and mushrooms. Serves 8.
5. McCall’s Cooking School.